With only three official cases, Africa's low coronavirus rate puzzles health experts

[mfcorey1]

Whether it's a matter of faulty detection, climatic factors or simple fluke, the remarkably low rate of coronavirus infection in African countries, with their fragile health systems, continues to puzzle – and worry – experts.

To date, only three cases of infection have been officially recorded in Africa, one in Egypt, one in Algeria and one in Nigeria, with no deaths.

This is a remarkably small number for a continent with nearly 1.3 billion inhabitants, and barely a drop in the ocean of more than 86,000 cases and nearly 3,000 deaths recorded in some 60 countries worldwide.

Shortly after the virus appeared, specialists warned of the risks of its spreading in Africa, because of the continent’s close commercial links with Beijing and the fragility of its medical services.

https://www.france24.com/en/20200301-with-only-three-official-cases-africa-s-low-coronavirus-rate-puzzles-health-experts

[Squinch]

1. Not really loving this paragraph:

This hypothesis was rejected by Professor Rodney Adam, who heads the infection control task force at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. “There is no current evidence to indicate that climate affects transmission,” he said. “While it is true that for certain infections there may be genetic differences in susceptibility...there is no current evidence to that effect for Covid-19.”

I was hoping that Filthy Donnie was right once in his life and this would go away for a while during the summer.

[malaise]

5. Filthy Don the ignorant Con

has never ever been right

[beachbumbob]

2. I suspect limited testing has more weight on the numbers than anything else

[milestogo]

3. Story is from March 1 - there are now 17 confirmed cases in South Africa.

And a handful of cases elsewhere, all foreigners travelling to Africa from infected countries.

[DeminPennswoods]

4. This came immediately to mind when I looked at the WHO map

It's entirely possible that this is a result of people not being tested.

But, not every country in Africa is chaotic like Somalia and many still have ties to the old European colonial powers. It's certainly worth investigating why there are no reported cases in such a large area.

[superpatriotman]

6. Turkey has only 1!

Russia only 28!

How does that work?